| Ezura Mikazuki |
Here he goes again—another mission from Her Majesty and another week of pain. He has been getting assignments back to back and barely any room to breathe. One would think that his job is so easy since he gets the chance to travel the kingdom with tons of money from Her Majesty so he can afford the best food and shelter. Wrong! Mikazuki's never sent to the good parts of the kingdom, and trying to capture magic users, or "Casters," is difficult as they always want to put up a fight. It would make it easier on everyone if they just gave up already. Not to mention traveling with them. Once they capture a rebel, keeping them detained for a three-day trip is exhausting. They always try to escape; some do, turning their three-day journey into a week's vacation.
Now, here he stands in the poorest village of Veda. What good food or shelter could he get in a place like this? The atmosphere is depressing; everyone looks like they haven't bathed in years. It was such a filthy place. Few places he has been assigned to cover haven't been this unsightly. He didn't want to get off his horse when he arrived, afraid of ruining his boots. All his men searched every home and gathered every villager, forming a straight line across the town. He had them block all exits and keep a lookout for anyone who seemed suspicious.
Mikazuki narrowed his eyes at the disgusting people who looked at him like anxious mutts. He wondered what was going on in their minds. Maybe they thought he was there to kill them off because the numbers of the kingdom had reached their limits. Maybe they knew he was there for Casters, or perhaps they thought he came as a messager from the High Elf to raise taxes again.
If he were them, a tax raise would be scarier than dying or being taken in. He would probably beg on his knees for everything to end; with one slice to the throat, they wouldn't have to suffer as long as they were poor and dying from hunger. So, killing them off would be doing them a great favor. Luckily for them, a tax raise wasn't why he was there.
"Hold your hands out and stay still. With your compliance, our investigation will be done by noon. Don't make this harder than it needs to be," he said as he began with the first villager closest to him. He took off his white gloves and pressed his hand against the man's hand, trying to hide the disgust on his face from touching the dirty peasant. Why couldn't he have been sent to a more refined part of the kingdom? After joining hands with the peasant, he waited for that warm glow that followed whenever two Casters touched. Nothing. Not from him anyway, or the following five people after him. Wiping his hands on the black fabric of his jacket, he continued. It was starting to seem like the journey had been a waste of time as more and more people were cleared.
That was until he approached a woman with green eyes, long blonde hair, and a young girl who looked like a mini version standing beside her. Immediately, he felt something was off. It wasn't them, though. The nearly indistinguishable traces of mana on their hands weren't strong enough for them to be the Casters he sought. If he was any less adept at using his magic, he could have skipped over them.
"You've been near an unsanctioned Caster," energy swirled in his hands, condensing into a formation of purplish crystals. He shaped them into the form of a short sword and pointed it toward the woman's throat before she could move an inch.
"This whole town is compromised, and it will remain that way until one of you admits to harboring the fugitives we're after," he gestured for his knights to subdue the few people who grew restless because of his words. "If I don't get a confession by night, you'll all be arrested and imprisoned as traitors to Her Majesty," he announced.
Turning back to the woman, he raised the crystal sword at her. "I'll give you a chance to admit what you know. You'll be given a lighter punishment if you fess up."
Whether or not the woman had any valuable info, who knew? She could have brushed up against a Caster. That hardly changed things, though. His knights brandished their weapons as well. They needed to be on guard. Signs of a Caster didn't necessarily mean there'd be a group of rebels with them. Still, they needed to be prepared to face that scenario.
The woman seemed unfazed by the knife being close to her throat. It was as if she had been in this position many times before. She had a wave of confidence that he would admit was admirable. Her daughter, however, was trembling in fear. Finally, the woman breathed in before speaking up, "I don't know how you could sense magic. We don't have anyone like that in our village. Even if we did, I doubt they would stay long. My family and I honor the High Elf and don't condone any Casters. For I am a mother, and as a mother, I'm afraid of ever letting those dangerous beings around my child."
The lady could be telling the truth, but he couldn't let himself be fooled so easily. His position and his unique privilege to keep his magic would be at risk if he did a poor job. If it came to it, he wasn't opposed to using more direct tactics to get what he wanted. But, as cold-hearted as he may be, he would still hate to be forced to interrogate a mother, so he held off from doing anything drastic for the moment. No one was speaking up, no matter how much he threatened that their silence would land all of them in trouble.
Finally, the lone person who seemed to be stepping forward, pushing their way through the crowd, gave Mikazuki a little hope that everything could end without hurting anyone. However, he seemed to have gotten his hopes up as he noticed that the figure was dressed in tattered leather boots, a black cloak that covered his clothing underneath, and a mask that covered everything but his golden eyes. He was about the same height as him, maybe an inch or two taller,
The mysterious figure grabbed the blade of his sword with his hands, wearing ripped brown gloves that showed the tips of his fingers. It was not every day that someone so rudely interrupted the business of a knight. He held his hand up to stop his men, who were about to detain the peasant for placing their filthy hands on his weapon.
"Shameful to see a being like you going after your own kind," the male's voice was calm and soft to the ears. He pushed the sword down and stepped before the woman and child as if guarding them like a dog, "Not only that, but dragging innocent people along, risking their lives. People act like Casters are heartless, but then they see people like you," he continued.
He couldn't allow him to get the best of him, "The only shameful thing is your lack of manners. Interfering with the affairs of Her Majesty's knights is a crime worthy of the most severe punishment." He was honestly more annoyed at this commoner touching his weapon than the annoying words spewing from his mouth. He didn't make such an intricate sword only to let a commoner put their filthy hands on it.
Silver eyes met gold as Mikazuki glared back at the figure.